Hall effect device for use in obtaining square or square root of a voltage amplitude

Abstract

In accordance with the Hall effect, a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the direction of current flow through a conductor causes an electric field perpendicular to both the direction of the current flow and the direction of the magnetic field established in the conductor. This effect has been used to produce magnetic field and current detectors, modulators and frequency doublers. In accordance with the present disclosure a portion of the magnetic field is reversed to produce squaring of or obtaining the square root of the amplitude of the voltage used to produce the conductor current.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a Hall effect device comprising semiconductive material, a magnet establishing a magnetic field which passes in a first direction through said material, a pair of terminals connected to said material so that the straight line path therebetween is substantially perpendicular to the path of said magnetic field, and a second pair of terminals connected to said material so that the straight line path therebetween is substantially perpendicular to both said magnetic field path and said path of said first terminals, AN IMPROVEMENT CHARACTERIZED IN THAT means are provided for reversing a portion of said magnetic field where said portion intersects part of the straight line path between said first pair of terminals and also part of the straight line path between said second pair of terminals.   
     
     
       2. A Hall effect device comprising a semiconductor,   a first structure to establish a magnetic field in a first direction through a first portion of said semiconductor,   a second structure to establish a magnetic field in a second portion of said semiconductor in a second direction substantially opposite to said first direction,   a first pair of terminals connected to said semiconductor so that the straight line path between said first pair of terminals passes through both of said fields and, furthermore, is substantially perpendicular to said fields, and   a second pair of terminals connected to said semiconductor so that the straight line path between said second pair of terminals passes through both of said fields and, furthermore, is substantially perpendicular to both said fields and the first-mentioned straight line path.